The present invention is in the field of toilet equipment, particularly urinals for use by females. Specifically, this invention discloses a urinal which can be utilized by females while in a generally upright position, and may be advantageously used in public restrooms and the like.
Many forms of toilets and urinals have been developed and disclosed in the prior art since indoor plumbing became common. However, despite the proliferation of toilet designs, no practical and commercially accepted form of urinal for female use has been designed.
A form of a prior art urinal is shown in U. S. Pat. No. 2,968,046 to W. A. Duke. This patent discloses an oblong shaped cup for receiving urine which is attached to a hose, which is drained to the plumbing by means of suction created by a jet effect by running water. This design does not provide for disposal of paper waste, such as toilet tissue. Furthermore, the use of a permanent cup could lead to unsanitary conditions, and the cup would have to either be cleaned in place or removed for cleaning. Neither situation is commercially practical.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,145,768 to Chevrette discloses another form of cup and hose urinal intended to be connected to a sink drain. This design is not specifically adapted for female use and requires the user to manually rinse the cup with water from the sink. Furthermore, it provides no means for disposing of waste.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,282,611 to O'Day discloses a urinal attachment for a standard toilet. As discussed and shown, this device does not appear suitable for use by females, and it does not utilize a hose or other complete connection to the plumbing; rather it is a funnel device to be utilized over the toilet. This patent does disclose a type of rinsing of the funnel, but this rinsing means does not work in association with the flushing of the toilet and requires manual control to turn the rinsing on and off. This rinsing would not be acceptable in the environment of a public bathroom.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,490,863 to Pate is a recent patent of the cup and hose design more particularly adapted for female use. However, this patent is specifically designed to save water and, therefore, has no waste flushing ability. This device utilizes a special vaginal insert for female use, but the disclosed insert is for purposes of adaptation of the device from male use to female use and is not intended to be disposable.